Goodbye, Old Friend
by The Flying Hawaiian 001
Summary: A one-shot taking place after 'A Matter of Loaf and Death', detailing the final months of Wallace when he is diagnosed with cancer. Dedicated to the memory of Peter Sallis, the man who voiced Wallace.


_Goodbye, Old Friend_

Pain. That was what Gromit felt when he saw his master, his beloved friend Wallace, receive the news that he had terminal cancer in his liver and lungs. He watched as his friend cried, unable to come to terms with leaving the Earth, and sat in bed, completely shocked. When Gromit heard it, he too felt awful. He would miss his friend dearly, and couldn't bear to see him go.

Later that night, Gromit heard Wallace sobbing. He went to the man's room to see if there was anything he could do, and he found Wallace, on the floor, his head buried in his hands. When he heard Gromit enter, he looked up at the dog. "Oh, Gromit. Oh, what are you gonna do when I'm gone?" He asked, despite knowing that he wouldn't get a response. The dog frowned, and sat beside Wallace.

"Do you know what the worst part is, lad?" Wallace asked, to which Gromit looked up at his tear-stained face. "I don't want to die. I don't feel ready to leave, just yet." He stated. Gromit automatically put his arm around Wallace, and put his paw on his shoulder. Wallace began to break down once again, and wrapped his arms around the dog.

Three months passed, and Wallace was much paler, and barely walking. He wouldn't even eat cheese and crackers, anymore, and was mostly bedridden. One day, when Gromit came in to serve him dinner, Wallace chuckled, and asked, "Old pal, do you remember the first time I brought you home? How you used to walk around in me shoes? Or the first time you helped me invent something? Heck, do you remember when we went to the moon? Any of that?" Gromit nodded in response, making Wallace chuckle a little, only before coughing. This prompted the dog to give Wallace his glass of water, and to help him swallow it. "Thanks, lad. Still, those were some wonderful times, right?" Wallace asked. Gromit nodded his head, as he too felt nostalgic for the old days. "I'm gonna miss those days. Will you?" Wallace asked, with tears forming in his eyes. This made Gromit begin to cry a little as well, and then watched his master fall asleep.

Another three months passed, and Wallace was no better. Most days, he was sleeping, leaving Gromit to walk around the house, alone. The house on 62 West Wallaby Street, which was once always filled with the sounds of Wallace inventing something new, was now quiet and dull.

Then, one early morning, when it was still dark out, Gromit woke up to Wallace calling his name. He went into Wallace's room, and found him looking tired, but, surprisingly, happy. "Say, lad, do you think we could go out and watch the sunrise? I've never actually seen it, despite what you might think." Gromit was somewhat hesitant. On the one hand, he knew that Wallace shouldn't be leaving the house. On the other hand, he wanted his Master to be as happy as possible in his final months.

So, he got Wallace out of bed, helped him walk down the stairs, and took him out the front door, and into the van they owned. They drove to a hill, where they could see the sunrise perfectly. Then, at exactly 4:45 AM, the sun rose into the sky, its radiant light shining upon the duo's faces. And, even after it rose, they just left the car parked where it was, and stared at the beauty before their eyes. "Isn't it just wonderful, Gromit? Just seeing it, and getting to experience all this?" Wallace said, smiling, to which Gromit tapped his master's shoulder.

The rest of the day was uneventful, as expected. The two went home, and went back to sleep. Then, after what seemed like a day, Gromit woke up to the sound of Wallace talking to himself, from downstairs. He got out of bed, and found his master making a meal of some sort. When he heard Gromit coming down the stairs, he turned to talk to him. "Evening, lad! You're up a little late!" Gromit looked at the clock, and saw that it was 5:30 PM. "Well, don't just stand there, sit! I've prepared you a meal!"

Gromit was surprised by this. Usually, it was him who did things around the house, especially when Wallace learned that he was diagnosed. In spite of this, he sat down at the table, as Wallace slowly grabbed a tray consisting of vegetables, spaghetti and meatballs, and a buttered piece of bread. And, of course, there was a steaming hot cup of tea. Gromit made a motion with his eyes and head, indicating that Wallace didn't have to do this for him. "I know what you're thinking, lad. And honestly, I figured that you deserve it most of all." Wallace said, sincerity in his voice and eyes. So, Wallace and Gromit sat at the table, and enjoyed a meal, Gromit with the one Wallace had prepared for him, and Wallace with a nice plate of cheese and crackers.

After dinner, the two looked through a book of memories, from the time that Wallace first took Gromit home, to the time they went to the moon, or when they got Feathers McGraw put back in jail, and so many more times. They sat in their favorite armchairs, laughing and reminiscing and, all the while, crying, though not because they were sad, but because they were happy to look back and laugh at all the things they had done and seen.

After a couple of hours, Gromit helped Wallace walk upstairs, and crawl into bed. Wallace sighed, and said, "You know, Grommy, this was, undoubtedly, the best day I've had since… well, I can't remember, anymore." He chuckled, and looked at the dog that he had come to consider family. "I want to thank you, Gromit. For everything. For all the times you saved my skin, to the times where you helped me make a simple contraption, to the times where you were my best friend. Thank you for everything, old pal." He said, tears running down his and Gromit's faces. The man and his dog embraced one another, and, when Gromit went to rest at Wallace's feet, drifted off to sleep.

Wallace died in the middle of the night. He went peacefully, in his sleep, with Gromit resting at his feet. When Gromit woke up, and found his master long gone, he wrapped his hand around his master's right hand, and broke down in a sob.

The funeral was three weeks later. Everyone in town came to the funeral, whether it be those who simply knew Wallace by reputation, or who knew him personally. Even Victor Quartermaine, the man who tried to murder Wallace in cold blood, showed up at the funeral to pay his respects to the man whom he finally realized was a better one than he'd ever been or ever would be.

When the casket was lowered into the ground, and Wallace's will had left his home and his inventions to Gromit, Gromit could do nothing but stare at the tombstone by Wallace's grave. On the grave, along with Wallace's full name, was written a message: "Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened." And, when the funeral was over, and everyone had left, Gromit stayed behind, to leave behind one last thing: a model rocket, the one Wallace built as a child, and left it on top of Wallace's grave.

And, with that, he parted ways with his master, thinking to himself, "Goodbye, old friend. I'll always miss you."

 _Author's Note: If you're wondering why I'm writing this, well, it's because Peter Sallis, the voice actor for Wallace, died last Friday, with his family by his side. I know about Sallis' career outside of Wallace and Gromit, but I have never really seen any of his other work, and I just want to say that I grew up watching the short films and the feature length film, and I still love them, even today. To say how much effort and joy this man put into his performance as the eccentric, cheese-loving inventor that we know and love wouldn't be enough praise. This man helped create one of my favorite childhood characters, and was a main factor in making the films starring him so enjoyable, and I'm going to definitely miss him. Thank you, Peter Sallis. You will be missed. Thank you all for reading! I'll see you soon!_


End file.
